June 15, 2022

Tech firms now less likely to offer fully remote working

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Fully remote working is no longer viewed as the ‘holy grail’ by tech employers, with hybrid working now viewed as the perfect model for aiding retention and recruitment of talent. That is the main conclusion of Robert Half’s Demand for Tech Talent report, which surveyed 750 tech hiring managers across the UK. The results of the survey suggest that remote working – which the report claims was widely touted as the ‘future of work’ both before and during the pandemic – is now being shunned by companies in favour of a flexible approach. More →

June 14, 2022

London Tech Week kicks off with new Government announcements on future of tech

by Neil Franklin • News, Technology

The Government’s review into the future of computing and its new UK Digital Strategy were unveiled at the start of London Tech Week as the world’s technology leaders, founders and next generation of tech superstars gather in the capital to collaborate on the future of the industry. Opening day speakers included Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson, Darren Hardman, VP & General Manager, AWS, Theo Blackwell MBE in conversation with New York City’s CTO Matt Fraser, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemi?tkowski and The Body Coach CEO & Creative Director Nikki Wicks. More →

June 9, 2022

Work-life balance more important than pay for two thirds of people

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Rising inflation and the UK’s cost-of-living crisis have put a lot of pressure on employers to increase wages and starting salaries this year, but a new survey suggests that there’s something that employees value more than pay – work-life balance. HR and payroll software provider CIPHR polled over 1,000 UK workers to find out which job aspects matter most to them. Based on the results, over two-thirds (70 percent of women and 65 percent of men) see work-life balance – albeit a term that can mean different things to different people – as being more important than their pay and employee benefits combined (selected by 60 percent of women and 57 percent of men). More →

June 8, 2022

Strategic workforce planning blocked by lack of data and defined employee responsibilities

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace, Workplace design

Poor data quality and a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities within the organisation are amongst the key challenges management faces when implementing vital strategic workforce planning (SWP), according to new academic research. The researchers also claim that a lack of methodology to execute a strategic workforce plan and the lack of support across all organisational units of the firm were contributing to a slower and less efficient strategic workforce planning. More →

June 8, 2022

FUTURE Designs and Artus announce sustainable buildings collaboration

by Freddie Steele • Company news

Artus, the ground-breaking heating and cooling system specialist and FUTURE Designs, the UK’s leading commercial lighting manufacturer, are pleased to announce their collaboration on a purpose-designed, multi service system (MSU), offering a more sustainable and comfortable future for buildings and their occupants. The Artus MSU complements the existing Artus product with an exclusively sourced, custom-built lighting system from FUTURE Designs, alongside comprehensive acoustic properties. This means the functionality is threefold: Artus’s advanced patented air conditioning system, FUTURE Designs’ intelligent lighting system and Class A acoustics. More →

June 7, 2022

Offices remain key to hybrid working strategy, claims report

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Property

Hybrid work adoption is growing and becoming a permanent element of the future of work, according to the new Workforce Preferences Barometer report [registration] from real estate firm JLL. However, the report’s authors also conclude that, as employee expectations and reality reach an equilibrium, the continuing use of offices remains pivotal to work routines. More →

June 1, 2022

Simone Fenton-Jarvis on the new era of human-centric workplaces

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, Premium Content, Wellbeing, Workplace

Plain speaking doesn’t always go down well, especially on social media and especially when cultural differences come into play. I recently had a friend intervene on my behalf to explain to an increasingly exasperated LinkedIn adversary that I wasn’t being rude, I was just ‘Northern’. This may well be a stereotypical Northern trait. If so, it is one that is shared by Simone Fenton-Jarvis, although then again it is one of the very few stereotypical things about her. More →

May 31, 2022

A third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Over a third of UK office workers have no dedicated workspace at home, and only 6 percent have been trained for hybrid meetings, claims a new report from Leeds University Business School. The report is an interactive tool and suggests practical measures based on evaluation of stakeholders and employee interviews, industry workshops, cross-industry surveys of UK office workers, employee diaries and case study corporations. More →

May 27, 2022

Announcing Works: a magazine for, about, and by the workplace design community

by Mick Jordan • News, Workplace design

Welcome to the new magazine for the workplace interiors community. Works is about the workplace industry, for the workplace industry and by the workplace industry – as you will see from this pilot issue. We want to reconnect this thriving sector (the workplace ain’t dead, baby!). More →

May 16, 2022

Future Shock: a message from the past that defines the present ¹

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Technology, Wellbeing

We are all futurologists now. We all have our 2020 visions, at least for a little while. But there was a time, not so long ago, when the title was reserved for a few people who would be able to shake and shape the world with a single idea and a book. Yes, a book. Nowadays a book has to go hand in hand with a Ted Talk, blogs on the Huff Post and a speaking tour to get you anywhere at all. But within living memory it was possible to shift the thinking of the planet with a book. More →

May 12, 2022

From commuting to computers, finding balance in the hybrid workplace

by Anni Hallila • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

A recent survey from AT&T and Dubber found that 81 percent of respondents believe hybrid work will be the foremost working model by 2024, with 56 percent of work done off site. A striking 100 percent of respondents believe a hybrid work model will help attract young talent. While there are numerous benefits to being able to work from home, as the pandemic continues on, time has brought some of the challenges of remote work to light, serving as a reminder that balance is key to a hybrid work environment. Pre-pandemic, it seemed rare for companies to implement proactive solutions for workplace burnout. Businesses are now presented with the unique opportunity to find balance between in-person and remote work, and create workplaces that thrive within the hybrid workplace model. More →

May 6, 2022

The Workplace Geeks on what we need to learn about the office now that everything’s changed

by Freddie Steele • Facilities management, Podcasts, Premium Content, Workplace design

The Workplace Geeks are out and about for their very first LIVE episode, recorded at The Workplace Event, Birmingham NEC, UK in April 2022. For this special show they’re joined by Dan Pilling, workplace strategy consultant at TSK Group. Their discussion explores the scope and value of practical workplace research pre and post pandemic, with some great questions from the audience (thanks to Brock James from iOtSpace, Stuart Watts from the GPA, and Steve Henigan from HCG). More →